Twelve Days
Revolution 1956. How the Hungarians tried to topple their Soviet masters
Published on 1. June 2007
Book
Paperback/Softback
368 pages
978-0-7538-2214-2 (ISBN)
Description
The defining moment of the Cold War: 'The beginning of the end of the Soviet empire.' (Richard Nixon)
The Hungarian Revolution in 1956 is a story of extraordinary bravery in a fight for freedom, and of ruthless cruelty in suppressing a popular dream. A small nation, its people armed with a few rifles and petrol bombs, had the will and courage to rise up against one of the world's superpowers.
The determination of the Hungarians to resist the Russians astonished the West. People of all kinds, throughout the free world, became involved in the cause. For 12 days it looked, miraculously, as though the Soviets might be humbled. Then reality hit back. The Hungarians were brutally crushed. Their capital was devastated, thousands of people were killed and their country was occupied for a further three decades.
The uprising was the defining moment of the Cold War: the USSR showed that it was determined to hold on to its European empire, but it would never do so without resistance. From the Prague Spring to Lech Walesa's Solidarity and the fall of the Berlin Wall, the tighter the grip of the communist bloc, the more irresistible the popular demand for freedom.
The Hungarian Revolution in 1956 is a story of extraordinary bravery in a fight for freedom, and of ruthless cruelty in suppressing a popular dream. A small nation, its people armed with a few rifles and petrol bombs, had the will and courage to rise up against one of the world's superpowers.
The determination of the Hungarians to resist the Russians astonished the West. People of all kinds, throughout the free world, became involved in the cause. For 12 days it looked, miraculously, as though the Soviets might be humbled. Then reality hit back. The Hungarians were brutally crushed. Their capital was devastated, thousands of people were killed and their country was occupied for a further three decades.
The uprising was the defining moment of the Cold War: the USSR showed that it was determined to hold on to its European empire, but it would never do so without resistance. From the Prague Spring to Lech Walesa's Solidarity and the fall of the Berlin Wall, the tighter the grip of the communist bloc, the more irresistible the popular demand for freedom.
Reviews / Votes
This is a vivid, heartbreaking account of the brutal crushing of the first armed insurrection against Soviet occupation. Twelve Days is essential reading for understanding the great risks people will take for freedom -- Kati Marton, author of <i>The Great Escape: Nine Hungarians Sebestyen's ...will be the classic account of the Uprising * Economist </i>History Book of the Year 2006<i> * Wielding a vast array of newly released archives and completely new eyewitness testimony, Victor Sebestyen has written a magisterial but also totally gripping and fresh account of the noble, violent and doomed Hungarian revolution: a tale of murder and battles on the streets of Budapest and in the dungeons of the KGB, and of high-level intrigue from the White House to the Kremlin. Above all, it is a story of courage and decency among ordinary Hungarians. The result is a tour de force -- Simon Sebag Montefiore Sebestyen's account of the doomed uprising is utterly enthralling and almost unbearable to read -- Simon Shaw * Daily Mail * A small masterpiece that should be read and treasured by all who value mankind's eternal quest for freedom -- Professor Ron Radosh * New York Post * Sebestyen's gripping description of the uprising is impressively researched and even-handed * Observer * Sebestyen's account is elegant and emotive * Daily Telegraph * A gripping and enlightening read ... recommended for anyone wanting to learn more about a tragic and regrettable event in European history * Tribune * Victor Sebestyen is a marvellous guide to the Hungarian revolution: its causes, its unfolding and its aftermath. His nuanced, intelligent account reads in part like a thriller and he captures well the drama of those fateful days...This is a first-class book that should become the standard work on a revolution whose after-effects are still shaping the Europe in which we live today -- Literary ReviewMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Orion Publishing Co
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 34 mm
Weight
331 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7538-2214-2 (9780753822142)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Victor Sebestyen
Twelve Days
Revolution 1956. How the Hungarians tried to topple their Soviet masters
E-Book
11/2010
Weidenfeld & Nicolson
€3.99
Available for download
Person
Victor Sebestyen is the acclaimed author of TWELVE DAYS (W&N, 2006), REVOLUTION 1989 (W&N, 2009) and 1946 (Macmillan, 2014). He was born in Budapest. He was a child when his family left Hungary as refugees. As a journalist, he has worked for numerous British newspapers, including the EVENING STANDARD, DAILY MAIL and THE TIMES. He reported widely from Eastern Europe when Communism collapsed and the Berlin Wall came down in 1989. He covered the wars in former Yugoslavia and the breakup of the Soviet Union. At the EVENING STANDARD he was foreign editor, media editor and chief leader writer. He is an associate editor of NEWSWEEK.